Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1887-04-14

IsSNE|AEIID'NDIN's''sRP
GENERAL NATHANIEL LYON.-Redrawn from
Portrait in Harpers.
them three to one But the Union cause
sustained what, at the time, seemed almost
irreparable loss in the death of General
Lyon. Our forces, after General Lyons
death, fell back 30 Springfield, Mo-, and
finally to Rolla General Sigel, upon whom
the command devolved, gained much repu-
tation for the mastery manner in which he
brought off the little army in the face of a
foe which numerically was so much his
superior.
General Lyons death was greatly de-
plored. He seemed to combine qualities in
his person so much needed at the time
qualities lacking in many even in the high
est places
His energy, promptness, sagacity and
bravery made him a great favorite in the
Westand gave promise Of brilliant future,
had his life been spared.
He first came into prominence May 10,
1861, when, as Captain Lyon of the regular
army, he promptly seized Camp Jackson at
st. Louis and thus early saved that city to
the Union.
Emboldened by success at other points,
secession in Missouri proposed to make its
nest, so to speak, at Camp Jackson within
the corporate limics of st. Louis.
In this nest in early May, whole broods
of Confederate soldiers were going through
the incubation process. But the comman-
dant, General Frost, who possessed only the
sagacity of fledgeling, had made a sort of
May-day merry making of drilling and
Aftr air,r hi 20 nv-fA, \ IL
pleasure-resort of his camp.
Here came the city nabobs in their
coaches, ladies in carriages, others in
buggies, men on horseback and hundreds
afoot.
One day Fat lady in buggy, unaccom-
panied, drove leisurely all about the camp
apparently unconcerned, but from under
''her'' bonnet looked the eagle eyes O,
Captain Nathaniel Lyon of the United
States army, who carefully took in the
whole situation.
Shortly afterwards body of armed sol
diers were marched out to Camp jackson,
halted in front of il, when their comman.
der, Captain Lyon, demanded and promptly
received the surrender of the Confederate
camp with its twelve hundred embryo SOL
ders.
This bold and sagacious act caused great
rejoicing throughout the West, but
specially in such parts of Illinois as were
tributary to St. Louis. Tho newspapers
of the day were filed with accounts of the
affair and Captain Lyon at once came into
prominence. But his career of glory was
doomed to be short, as he fell precisely
three months later at Wilson's creek.
Our little county, as stated in previous
paper, furnished a company of three
months men at the first call in April, 1861 ;
these, before their time had fully expired,
came home on furlough, preparatory to
entering the three years service, for
which period they had re-enlisted. Those
from our community came walking in
from toward the railroad station one
bright June morning, dressed in their
fresh, new uniforms: Coats of dark or
navy blue, with bright, brass buttons,
pants light blue, neat caps with long
visors, and their blankets of gray wooden,
neatly rolled and thrown gracefully over
their shoulders. Thus seen, soldering"
looked inviting to boy not yet eighteen.
During the summer of 1861 man came
along and hired out upon the farm where
the writer was working. He stated
that he was from near Springfield,
Mo-, where he had owned a well-stocked
farm but that the country being overrun
by the contending armies every thing had
been stripped off," and he was glad to get
away. His family had gone to some rela-
tives in Indiana while he sought to earn
little money by hard work. He was the
first Union refugee seen by the writer.
The battle of Bull Run in the East and
Wilson's creek in che West were the prin-
cipal engagements during the summer Of
1861
The writer remembers anxiouslY watch
ing the papers during the summer and
autumn of that year, instinctively hoping
to read of the Confederates being over
whelmed by our forces. But his hopes
were not gratifed; that bit Of philos-
ophy: "The mills of the gods grind
slowly but surely;" he had yet to learn.
During the winter of 1912 the writer
taught district school in a remote and
sparsely settled section, seven miles from
post-office, where papers week old were
not considered stale.
Not till long after it was fought, January
10, 1862, Mill Spring. General Thomas first
battle, was read an account of the whole
matter. Here the Confederate forces were
beaten and put to flight, General Zolli-
Golfer killed, their lines penetrated and
broken at Bowling Green Even in this
early period every neighborhood had one
or more representatives in the army, and
during the winter the writer remembers
serving upon several occasions as amanu-
ensis to some Of his employers, who were
poor penmen, answering letters from SOL
diers at The frost.
Towards night one dreary, foggy day in
February, 1862, the boom of cannon was
heard away off to the southwest. Next
day it was learned that great victory had
been won. That Fort Donelson, on the
Tennessee river, had fallen. Fifteen thou
sand Confederates were reported captured,
with all their arms and accoutrements.
The cannonading heard proved to be tn
firing Of National salute at st. Louis,
more than forty miles distant. Meeting
party next day who had seen the papers
and read an account Of the whole affair,
the writer inquired the name Of the Union
commander.
The answer was: General Grant"
'Grant ~ Grant ~ said the writer,
s'never heard of him, who is hel what's his
ranks where's he from %
Don't know just who he isl was the
reply, except that he is Brigadier-Gen-
eral and is from Illinois,
The writer remembers feeling a shade Of
disappointment at the time that an en-
tirely new and unknown man should all at
once come into such prominence and. so to